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"Today marks the day you entered my life. Special indeed."
—Wilhelmina to Shana

Wilhelmina Carmel (ヴィルヘルミナ・カルメル Viruherumina Karumeru?) is the Flame Haze of the title "Manipulator of Objects" or "Manipulator of Ten Thousand Ribbons" (万条の仕手 Banjō no Shite?). She is bound to "Crown-and-Sash of Fantasies" Tiamat, whose will resides in the divine vessel Persona, which has the form of a headband. She and Alastor raised Shana to be a Flame Haze.

Appearance[]

Drama Disk Design Wilhelmina

Noizi Itō's depiction of Wilhelmina in the Light Novels

Wilhelmina is a young, beautiful lady of Dutch descent who wears a maid outfit consisting of a long, purple dress with puffy sleeves, a white apron, and a yellow ribbon tied on her neck. She also wears a petticoat and a pair of knee-high boots. When Yūji Sakai asked her why she chose that outfit, she said she asked around about what outfit befits a person serving royalty, and the maid outfit was the answer.[2] After finding it really practical, she has worn it ever since. The vessel of her contracting Crimson Lord Tiamat assumes the form of a maid's headband.

In the Great War, she wore a long yellow gown.

Personality[]

Having been deeply hurt by the death of her best friend Mathilde and the heartbreak over her unrequited feelings for Merihim, Wilhelmina is very cold, aloof, stoic and pragmatic. She always speaks in monotone in an overly formal and polite manner, rarely addressing anyone by name. She uses de arimasu, the uncontracted form of desu normally seen only in writing, to end her sentences. This is translated on some subtitles and the English dub as "Indeed".

Wilhelmina is seemingly unfriendly to others, but behind her stern expression, many different emotions sway, given her a sense of fragility.[1] She usually appears to be devoid of emotion, though this is not the case. Contrary to her often emotionless expression, Wilhelmina is compassionate, especially when concerning Shana.[3] Persona's mask represents her deep psyche and is an embodiment of how she lives while always hiding her emotions.[4] She tries to hide what she is thinking through her lack of expressions and stiff speech, but her awkwardness makes her thoughts obvious to others. She is a subtly disconnected and natural airhead-like person.[5]

As her title suggests, Wilhelmina is very skillful in many areas, like singing and house chores, and is the one who took care of Shana during the girl's training at Tendōkyū. Cooking, however, is one of her weaknesses. Because of this, she usually prepares dishes which do not require cooking like instant noodles and pre-prepared dishes. In her attempt to please Shana by cooking food personally for her, she ends up trashing Yuji's mother, Chigusa's kitchen.

Like most Flame Haze, Wilhelmina prioritizes preserving the balance over protecting innocent lives. When training Shana, she didn't even bother to teach her how to be sociable, partially because she knows very little about it herself and partially because she believed such skills to be unnecessary and distracting for a Flame Haze. It's because of this reason that she attempted to kill Yuji on two occasions, believing he was distracting Shana from her duties, though this was also to prevent the Midnight Lost Child from falling into the hands of Bal Masqué. She refrained from doing so with Shana's interference, though she is still quite cold to him for a time, similar to how an overprotective mother would dislike her daughter's boyfriend. In the light novels, she even tries to make Shana give up on him by force. Eventually, she is convinced to allow Shana to grow up by Chigusa. Wilhelmina also eventually becomes good friends with Chigusa, to the point that, when she finds out she is ill, she goes out of her way to make a remedy for her in exchange for everything she had done for her and Shana.

Ultimately, while Wilhelmina tries her hardest to raise Shana, the unfortunate truth is that she simply doesn't know how. She can train Shana and provide her with melon bread, but she can't provide Shana with emotional support, she can't cook for her, and she often fails to recognize when she's in pain. She is basically completely unable to help Shana grow as a human being, because she never got a chance to live as one herself. Making matters even worse is the fact that Wilhelmina is well-aware of all of this, and her inability to support Shana when she needs it serves as a constant frustration for her, to the point that she sometimes feels she's done an inadequate job as her guardian, even if Shana herself doesn't see it that way.

Although initially being put off by the idea that she and Shana were 'family', Wilhelmina has shown time and time again that she does indeed love Shana as a mother does her daughter. This is especially shown when Shana makes a surprise dinner for her due to her saying it was a special occasion, the special occasion being the anniversary of the day Shana entered her life.[6] After learning that Shana had managed to escape from her chamber in the Seireiden by herself, Wilhelmina wholeheartedly admits that she is very proud of her, though also a bit saddened that she doesn't need to rely on her anymore. Wilhelmina initially seemed to despise the name Yuji had given her ward, 'Shana', and thus never referred to her as such. However, before parting ways at the end of the series, she finally calls her by her full title and chosen name, showcasing her relinquishing her hold over her.

In the final battle of Misaki City, Wilhelmina goes through somewhat of an existential crisis. She had spent so much of her life serving others only for them to have moved on and left her behind. Shana did not need her protection anymore and similarly, her friends, Johann and Pheles, had made their own plans that seemingly did not involve her. However, after it is revealed that the two wanted her to take care of their child, Justus, she found a new purpose for herself: to raise this child just like how she did with Shana, and hopefully not fall into the same pitfalls as with her.

Background[]

Wilhelmina's past prior to accepting the contract to being a Flame Haze is unknown, but her Crimson Lord once referred to her as "Princess", implying that Wilhelmina was born into royalty.

Participation in the Great War[]

GreatWar Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina during the end of Great War.

She is one of the great Flame Haze from the Great War, fighting alongside her friend, Mathilde Saint-Omer against the Crimson Denizen organization known as Töten Glocke. Together, they are considered to be the counterpart of the "Pair of Wings", a partnership between the Crimson Lords Merihim and Illuyanka; two said to be the strongest of Töten Glocke, serving under Asiz. Wilhelmina fought Illuyanka in many battles but avoided confronting Merihim whom she had feelings for.

During the Great War, after fighting Illuyanka and defeating him, she lost her right arm in the later battle with Chernobog but recovered thanks to her Flame Haze abilities. Mathilde defeated Merihim and thwarted Asiz's attempt to create the Heir to Both Worlds by using Tenpa Jōsai to summon Alastor to this world, losing her life in the process. Wilhelmina and Merihim were left with Mathilde's final request: to search for and train her successor, the next "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter".

Solitary Travels[]

Wilhelmina Carmel

Wilhelmina traveling alone in the desert.

With her friend and constant partner gone, Wilhelmina began her quest to look for Mathilde's successor. In one of her travels, she encountered the reckless "Scatterer of Sparking Light" Rebecca Reed, who eventually became Wilhelmina's traveling partner for some time after saving Rebecca from an ambush from a Rinne.

Plot[]

Mathilde's Successor[]

Wilhelmina, Merihim and Alastor eventually stay in the Tendōkyū, a large floating piece of land which also acts as a refuge for Flame Haze. There, they continue the search for the next person to possess the title "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter" previously held by Mathilde. After hundreds of years, Wilhelmina found a baby girl discovered to be a "Great One", and took her to Tendōkyū. The orphaned girl is then taken custody by Wilhelmina, who later doubles as her trainer and guardian. On top of training her to become a Flame Haze, Wilhelmina also did all cleaning, laundry, and building renovations. Wilhelmina began dressing as a maid at this point to imitate maids who were a part of her own upbringing.[4]

When Tendōkyū falls for the first time, Wilhelmina parts ways with the girl, who later travels around the world to learn more about her duty as the newest "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter".

Meanwhile, she goes around the world in a different journey, cooperating with Outlaw with investigations regarding incidents regarding the Crimson Realm. Her duties in Outlaw is put on hold when she arrives in Misaki City and returns to being the guardian of the girl, who was now known as "Shana".

Other Appearances[]

Anime Appearances[]

Shakugan no Shana-tan[]

Dengeki Bunko 2007 Movie Festival Special[]

Wilhelmina makes a cameo sitting by herself in the theater in this special.[7]

Relationships[]

Shana[]

Wilhelmina has taken care of Shana ever since she was young, attending to her needs and helping her train as a Flame Haze. She frequently bought Shana melon bread, which triggered Shana's deep love for the pastry. After meeting her for the first time in years, Wilhelmina took a dislike to Shana's new name and believed she was being distracted, though she got past this overtime. Wilhelmina loves Shana as a mother would her daughter,[8] even doting on her.[3] Shana feels the same way, but due to their lack of social skills, they both have trouble expressing this openly. When Shana defied her, Wilhelmina became awfully depressed, even resorting to drinking heavily with Margery.[8]

Tiamat[]

Tiamat is the Crimson Lord bound to Wilhelmina by contract, and they have been partners for a very long time. Not much can be inferred regarding their relationship due to Tiamat's taciturn nature, however, they appear to be rather close. Wilhelmina and Tiamat have even been shown to finish each other's sentences. Despite their somewhat similar personalities, Tiamat appears to be the more level-headed one, not acting on a deep affection for the current "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter", and even reminds Wilhelmina to focus on the "here and now" when her contractor loses her will to fight on. Tiamat even expresses regret, in conversational sentences, that she could not do more for Wilhemina during the battle in the Saishuku no Shadan.

Yūji Sakai[]

Wilhelmina constantly refers to Yūji as "the Mystes", though later on, she occasionally refers to him by his name. She had once advocated killing him so as to keep the Reiji Maigo out of the hands of Bal Masqué and had to be stopped from performing the deed herself twice by Shana. Wilhelmina treats Yūji severely because she believes him to be a bad influence on Shana, who she has raised to be the perfect Flame Haze, in various ways.[9] Later on, Wilhelmina has begun to, more or less, accept Yūji's presence, if not his influence on Shana, and, on Shana's request, becomes Yūji's training partner when Shana is otherwise not available. Wilhelmina, while initially disapproving of Yūji, has grown to acknowledge his worth, and even begins to have some expectations of Yūji and his analyses. Wilhelmina, after the death of Bifrons, reluctantly admitted that Yūji is a suitable partner for Shana due to his keen deductions.

In the light novels, Yūji retaliates and nearly kills Wilhelmina with the Blutsauger in a wild rage, because she tried to make Shana give up on Yūji by force.[10] However, in the anime, Yūji shows no such hostility towards her, and treats her with respect, referring to her as "Carmel-san".

Merihim[]

Wilhelmina was in love with the Crimson Lord Merihim, but he didn't realize that due to only being interested in Mathilde Saint-Omer.

Powers and Abilities[]

Wilhelmina is known as the "Dancing Princess of Peerless Combatant Skills" (戦技無双の舞踏姫 Sengi Musou no Butouki?) for her elegant and unparalleled techniques and movements in battles. The skillfulness of her techniques surpasses those of all the many other Flame Haze.[1]

Persona: In battle, the vessel which Tiamat resides in, Persona, is able to change from a headband to a mask which has an incredible number of ribbons extending from it, making it easier for Wilhelmina to battle, simply because Wilhelmina doesn't have to summon the ribbons herself, instead using the ribbons from her mask, these ribbons can create powerful explosions and summon giant fireballs.

Unrestricted Spells[]

Ribbons (リボン Ribon?): As described by her Flame Haze title, her primary ability is the power to control an infinite number of ribbons which appear from around her. She uses this in a variety of ways acts as both defense, offense, and an aid for movement.

Stigma-breaking Insignia (スティグマ破りの自在式 Sutiguma-yaburi no Jizai-shiki?): Wilhelmina inherits the Unrestricted Spell that was originally developed by Johann, to combat Sabrac's Stigma.

Wilhelmina is capable of flying at great speeds by using Power of Existence.

Quotes[]

  • (To Shana"Excuse me for what I am about to do, indeed. [hugs her]"[11]
  • (To Yuji"Rushing through your training would be most counter-productive"[12]

Trivia[]

  • Her title's meaning is like the term for a player (in chess) who can predict moves far ahead. "Manipulator" (仕手 Shite?) is also the term for a protagonist in Noh, a classical Japanese music drama which is notable for performers wearing masks.
  • Despite her title being the "Specialist of Everything," it is known that Wilhelmina is terrible cook which is why she only buys microwavable or prepared foods for Shana.
  • In the sixth episode of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, Nanami Nanashiro cosplays as Wilhelmina.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. RGB code sourced from 桜色 on colordic

References[]

Navigation[]

Flame Haze Army
Great War
Supreme General Sophie Sawallisch
Army Commanders Karl BerwaldSamuel Demantius
Other Operatives AlexDenisMathilde Saint-OmerWilhelmina CarmelCecilia RodrigoFrançois AuricClemens RottYamabeKhamsin Nbh'wBerwald Group adjutant
Crimson Lords TakemikazuchiOutreniaia and VetcherniaiaZirnitraHaagentiGarouAlastorTiamatCuélebreGrogachNóttŌyamakuiBehemoth
Second Great War
Supreme Commander Sophie Sawallisch
Army Commanders Samuel DemantiusErnest FliederSeere HabichtsburgHildegard
The Four Gods of Earth CenterHillEastEdgeSouthValleyWestShore
Other Operatives François AuricRebecca ReedKhamsin Nbh'wShanaWilhelmina CarmelChiara ToscanaMikalojus CuiDan RogersMargery DawHolmèsGlinka
Crimson Lords TakemikazuchiZirnitraBrigidGizoWodanTlalocQuetzalcóatlTezcatlipocaChalciuhtlicueGrogachBalarBehemothAlastorTiamatOutreniaia and VetcherniaiaJophielFifinellaMarchosiasCeridwenDažbog
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Directors CenterHillEastEdgeErnest FliederNamPietro MonteverdiSouthValleyWestShore
Operatives BaudoDan RogersDong MingFan XunFerdeGeorgeHolmèsIrvingJi ChongKeisaku SatōKhamsin Nbh'wLiu YangPaula KleckiWilhelmina CarmelXiang XinYurii ChvojkaYu Xuan
Crimson Lords Bai ZeBehemothBridle of WildernessBrigidCalliopeCeridwenChalciuhtlicueDi HongDziewonaFayFifinellaHalphasLugQiong QiQuetzalcóatlSentiaTezcatlipocaTiamatTlalocValacXiang LiuZagan
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